Sunday 6 March 2016

A peek inside my studio and a very quick sketch

I have been busy reorganising my studio/office over the past week
with a little help from my sons for the heavy jobs.

If you are anything like me,
you love seeing pics of other artists' studios
so I thought I'd share mine with you.


This is my computer desk area.
I painted that bald eagle many moons ago.
He was done with acrylic paints on canvas.


My storage baskets inside the built-in robe are all reorganised and labelled now
so I no longer have to pull out all the drawers to find something.
SO much easier!

On the opposite side of the room is my art desk (view from doorway)
which is actually two tables from IKEA side by side.
The set of three drawers consists of the following...
top drawer is filled with bits and pieces
such as favourite sketch pens/palettes, rulers, mechanical pencils, erasers, etc.
second drawer is filled with many ballpoint pens all sorted by colour
the bottom drawer is filled with many markers and ink pens.

When it comes to art supplies,
a girl just can't have too much, right?

More art/sketch-related storage in the built-in wardrobe
and a cosy bed for Cody to lie in while I'm working.


A different view of my art area
All those books are art/sketch-related organised by spine colour.
The framed print of the girl and butterflies was done by daughter, Michelle.
It makes me happy and I love it!

And that's about it for my in-house studio.
I do have other art supplies stored in the garage
which are more related to my acrylic painting.

It's still slow going with my recovery from carpal tunnel surgery.
I'm just past week four and
 the wound site is still very tight, lumpy, and tender.
A couple of little mishaps over the past few days have set me back a bit too.
One of them being where I inadvertently put some of my body weight on my hand
when I went to help myself up from the floor.
It only took a split second to realise what I was attempting
because the pain was massive.
My hand was so sore for the rest of the night
and I was getting shooting pains too.
Thankfully, it settled down within 24 hours.
Lesson learned!


I did manage a simple sketch today.
It's the first sketch I've done since my surgery.
It was a little shaky and slow-going
as I have to be careful how I hold my hand to avoid pain.
Writing is easier to manage whereas
I need more wrist/arm movement with sketching.
I can't lean on the wound area either....it hurts.
I'm using a brush case to rest my forearm on
so that my wrist and hand are not actually touching the desk.

Despite the awkwardness
it feels good to be sketching again.

I decided to sketch the tube of ointment I use for the wound site.
Papaya Fade by PURE Phytocare
100% vegan ingredients and not tested on animals.
It's supposed to be great for scars and stretch-marks.



Moleskine watercolour notebook - A5 size, landscape format 
Graphite, PITT pens and watercolours 

I'm hoping to get back into the habit of daily sketching
so stay tuned....

29 comments:

  1. glad you were able to do this lovely sketch! Thanks for the peek at your studio, love that Eagle.

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  2. Keep improving my friend. Glad to hear you are finding a way to do art, I can't imagine how difficult it is to remember ever minute to NOT use your dominant hand. When I had carpel tunnel last year it was so darn difficult I probably had it days more than I should because I'd use it inadvertently. You're just heroic in my book. :o)

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    1. A week on since this post and I'm still improving by the day. :)

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  3. I love your Eagle and Michelle's sweet painting. How awesome to have your studio room back!! I see lots of paints in the top baskets in the closet, right? What kinds? That wooden brush holder is beautiful! Yes, I love to see other people's art areas and craft rooms. Was especially cool to see yours! ;)

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    1. Thanks, Rita. I'm glad you like the artwork and the studio layout. I'm loving it! The paints in the top baskets are a mix of Jo Sonja Acrylic Gouache and Matisse Acrylic paints. The brush holder was made for me by an ex-partner so it's one of a kind and I use it all the time. I love that I can keep the brushes organised better with it. :) xo

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  4. Oh it sounds so painful! I hope it is back to normal for you soon... Meanwhile I loved getting a peak in to you Studio! :0)

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    1. The first three weeks were the worst. A week on and my hand is still improving by the day.

      I'm glad you enjoyed the studio pics. :)

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  5. Great post, Mum! Love how your studio is looking, really good. Also, your first sketch after surgery is pretty good also. Hopefully you won't have too long a recovery period, hopefully it'll be a speedy recovery from here.

    Love,
    Brad xoxo

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    1. Thanks, Brad. I hope so too. I appreciate all the help you and Aaron have given me these past weeks. I couldn't have managed without you both.

      Love Mum xo

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks, Jen. I love having a studio again. :)

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  7. Hi Serena. Good to see you. Love your studio. Very neat. Wow, your hand. Ouch.. Hope it heals quick.

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Gloria! I'm glad you like the studio. February was a rough month for me with the surgery and afterwards. Getting back to normal gradually. :)

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  8. Your workspace looks so beautifully tidy, yet very inspiring with your artwork on the walls and all the books. I hope that your hand heals quickly - you would never know from your sketch :) x

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    1. Thanks for dropping by and for the lovely comment, Clare. :) xx

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  9. Thanks for the peek into your studio. I've been wanting to get new containers to organize my work room and you've given me some great ideas. wishing you continued healing from your surgery.

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    1. Thanks, Juana. I'm glad you got some ideas.

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  10. Well organized and creative looking studio ~ love the art work that you have surrounded yourself with too ~

    I had carpal tunnel in both hands and it does take awhile to heal ~ so hope you will be gentle with yourself ~

    Happy Week to you ~ ^_^

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    1. Thanks, Carol! I'm happy with how my hand is healing even though it seems to be a slow process. :)

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  11. I have a little of the same problem in my left hand. Hoping it woun't get worse. Hope you recover soon! Interresting to see your artroom. :)

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  12. I have a little of the same problem in my left hand. Hoping it woun't get worse. Hope you recover soon! Interresting to see your artroom. :)

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    1. Thanks for the well wishes, Catharina. :)

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    2. So neat and tidy and INSPIRING! I could only hope..maybe someday. Very nice looking studio for you! Hope you continue to heal well, I know what you mean about those OUCH moments. Take it easy, patience is something to behold at these times, as you know.

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    3. Thanks, Pattie! It's now 8 weeks since surgery and, while my hand has healed enormously since day one, it is still not 100% by any means. If I overuse it throughout the day, I am in pain with it from late afternoon on. Patience is definitely key as well as knowing my limits until it is fully healed. I think that I'm finally at the stage where I think I can get back into daily sketching. That's gotta be a plus...YAY! :)

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  13. So organized. I aspire to be neat and tidy one day. The bald eagle is amazing. I thought it was a photograph. Ouch! I didn't realize that's how they cut to do carpal tunnel surgery. Looks painful. Hope you are continuing to heal nicely. Best wishes, Tammy

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    1. Thanks, Tammy! I'm glad you like the eagle. :) There is open carpal tunnel surgery which is an incision from the wrist to the middle of the palm. That is what I had but there is also an endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery where they make a small incision across the wrist area and use endoscopes to see inside. A lot of surgeons feel there is less risk of accidental surgical damage with the open surgery as they have a better view and more room to move about. It has been a painful and frustrating journey and I'm not looking forward to getting my left hand done. Hopefully it will be a little easier though with it being my non-dominant hand. :)

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  14. oh...hope your surgery - ..hope your recovery is coming along good. I loved peeking into your office. So that is where you make your magic! it looks cozy and so organized.

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    1. Thanks, Sandy. I'm very pleased with how my hand has healed....it's almost back to normal but I still have the odd pain spasms. I'm glad you enjoyed the peek into the studio. :)

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